Chapter 22

Maril paced nervously around the balcony. She knew Rex would be ecstatic about her pregnancy, yet she was still nervous about telling him. She couldn't explain why she was feeling this way. She was beginning to understand why Rex had been so nervous when he proposed to her; despite the fact it was a sure thing.

"Rheandr'a," she called. The young girl came running out on to the balcony yet again.

The girl had the drill down pat by now. "I've checked with the chef and dinner is ready to go whenever Rex comes by. His shuttle landed a half hour ago, but a Thanagarian delegation that had come over here to talk trade with local politicians accosted him and he is still held up there as far as I know. I have the datapad in my hot little hand and I am ready to interrupt you shortly after he arrives. And I think I see him flying here right now."

"Go," Maril yelled at the young girl. Rheandr'a didn't need coaxing as she was already on her way inside.

Maril looked up at the night sky and saw the moonlight reflecting off her husband's armor as he flew towards her. When he reached the balcony he curved his flight path upward, stopped, and then floated down to the surface.

His armor peeled back from his body as Maril ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. They started kissing before either of them said a word.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Rex told her as they stopped kissing for a moment. "I was held by some Thanagarians who wanted to discuss business. I was so close to killing them so I could make it here and be with you."

Maril smiled weakly as Rex kissed her forehead and started working his way down to her lips. Hearing his anger over being detained on business, she started having second thoughts about the little ruse she had put in place.

"Queen Maril," Rheandr'a said. Rex let out a loud sigh as he saw the servant walk up to them.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt you, your highness, but I have some urgent business I need to go over with you."

Maril could hear her husband breathing heavily through his nostrils. She knew he was angered by the interruption. She looked between Rheandr'a and Rex.

"Is it anything that critical?" she asked the girl. "I mean, if you just leave your datapad with me, maybe my husband and I could go over it in private."

Rheandr'a looked skeptical about what Maril was asking, just as Maril had instructed her to do. She handed the datapad over without saying a word. Maril and Rex waited to speak until she was out of earshot.

"I thought we were supposed to be the all-powerful rulers, yet everyone seems to think they can command us around if they have business," Rex said. Maril giggled at her husband's joke as she stared at the datapad screen. She saw his hand reach for it and reflexively yanked it away from him, out of his reach.

"Let me toss it over the side," he pleaded with her.

"We can't do that," she protested. "We have certain responsibilities and we need to make sure they're fulfilled. There are just a few things to go over and then we will have the entire night free."

"At least until someone wants us to settle a dispute their children are having," Rex said under his breath.

"Item 1," Maril began. "The unification commission is trying to make a new flag for our nation and they want us to decide on the colors of it."

Rex rolled his eyes. "Is this really important?"

"They're meeting tomorrow to begin the discussions and they need an answer on this."

"I don't know. You pick the colors." Maril had already picked the colors herself earlier as she knew Rex wouldn't care about them at all.

Maril acted like she was thinking hard about it. "Let's see, the old Thanagarian flag had gold, red, and green on it. The Tamaranian flag has red, purple, and pink on it. Why don't we take purple for Tamaran, green for Thanagar, and red for both nations?"

"Sounds great," Rex said with a hint of sarcasm. "Let's go with that, what's next."

Maril looked back at the datapad even though she knew what the next item was. "The commission wants to declare a date a holiday for celebrating the unification on a yearly basis. We need to select the date."

"I guess our wedding day was when things became official, how about that?"

"Think about all the official functions we will have to do on that day. Do you really want to do all that stuff on our anniversary?"

"Good point. Why don't we make the holiday the day the commission finally finishes all its bullshit."

"I think that we will be good enough for now," she replied. She took a deep breath as she looked back at the datapad. "Wow, the last item is actually a doozy. It might take up some time."

Rex let out an angered sigh. "What is it?"

"We need to draft a statement announcing to the public we will be producing an heir to the throne."

Rex immediately seemed puzzled by what she said. "Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant." Rex rushed at her, swept her up in his arms, and started kissing her.

"So that announcement shit was just a joke, right?"

"Of course," Maril said with a giggle before she went back to kissing her husband.

Rex broke off the kiss. "How many people know?"

"Besides us, the doctor and Rheandr'a. I told your parents without you. I'm sorry about that. I was just so excited and had to tell someone and I was having breakfast with them and after everything they've been through I knew they would be so excited and I know-"

Rex silenced her by holding a finger to her lips. "It's okay," he said. "Did you contact your father?"

"No, I was going to wait to tell all of them until they visit next week. I want to be able to tell my father the news in person."

Lash-El floated high above the ground, scanning the legions of troops that were lined up for inspection. He was amazed at the number of troops and tanks below him. When he had conquered Apokolips he had paid little attention to the number of forces he had gained under his control. Seeing them now made him beam with pride over what he had accomplished.

He looked at the skies around him. Floating all around him were gunships, fighters, and troop transports. These ships, in addition to his ground troops and tanks made his forces appear invincible.

Lash-El floated back to the new palace he was building. When Lash-El found out he was going to be a god he figured he would need a palace worthy of a deity. Brainiac had been upset over the diversion of resources to something it deemed unnecessary, but there was nothing he could do about it. Brainiac kept telling him his construction was causing delays with the machine, but Lash didn't see why there was any need to worry. There was no force in the world that could stop them.

Lash hovered above it and admired the handiwork of his slaves. They were doing a much better job than he had believed they would be able to. The promise of a better life in his new world was actually inspiring. He felt a slight pang of regret over the fact all their hopes would be dashed when they found out he was never going to free them like he promised.

The one disappointment he had was with the slow pace of the statue he was building of himself. He had admired the statue Darkseid had constructed and wanted one just like it. Unforunately, and unbeknownst to him at the time, he had executed all the artisans that had crafted it. The men he put on the job were doing the best they could, but so far the only progress they had made was to construct the wire frame that would serve as his body.

Lash descended into the palace through the open, unfinished roof and walked to his throne room. The great hall was of simple construction. He didn't need fancy architecture to convey any message about himself or his empire. Any message he might have wanted to send was conveyed by the hundreds of heads on pikes that lined the walls of his throne room.

Lash-El was quite obsessive about keeping souvenirs of every warlord he defeated and every underling of his who tried to betray him. He thought they would send a powerful message of the cost of opposing him, yet people still risked the consequences to try and overthrow him. Lash-El scanned the heads along the walls quickly, and then turned his attention to the two heads that flanked his throne.

He walked up to the one on the left and stared at the face of Guillotina. She had thought a place in his bed gave her power. When she started trying to wield it, Lash became concerned she might be trying to consolidate power to overthrow him. Up until her last breath, she had denied ever having any desire to oppose him. She told him she loved him, but he knew it was all lies.

He turned his attention away from her and towards the head of his mother on the other side of the throne. The look on her face was a look of serenity. It seemed a fitting look to be frozen on her face in death. When the two of them started taking over Apokolips they clashed over everything. His mother constantly belittled him and told him he would have been nothing without her. She believed this despite the fact he had a hundred times the power she did. One day he finally snapped, held her up against a wall and used his heat vision on her neck to burn her head off her body.

As Lash remembered the screams that were his mother's final words he walked down the stairs and observed the unused pike that was being reserved for his father's head. Brainiac was telling him constantly killing Superman was never part of the plan. They were going to need him to grant him access to the computer in the Fortress. After that Brainiac didn't want him to risk anything by trying to kill his father. Lash grinned as he thought about the computer's naivety. There was no way killing his father would be difficult for a being like him.

"My master," a female voice called to him. He turned to see the female furies walking up to him.

After several purges of the insolent members of the group, he was left with an inexperienced but extremely loyal group of young girls. While they didn't have the raw skill the previous group did, there viciousness and willingness to do anything for their master made them just as dangerous.

The four young women kneeled before him as Zana, the leader of the group, spoke to him. "All the soldiers are on the way to their encampments," she said as she kept her eyes averted. "Our great victory shall commence in the morning."

He held her chin and gently guided her head so she was looking at him. "You have done well," he told her. "You have all done well." The rest of the girls understood the cue and looked up at him with longing in their eyes.

"Wait for me in my bed," he commanded them. "And don't fight for position; there is enough of me for all of you." The girls ran off squealing.

Rex rubbed his hand along Maril's bare stomach. She simply laid back and enjoyed the afterglow along with the sensation of Rex's touch. Rex started kissing her neck and then worked his way along her face. Maril closed her eyes and merely enjoyed the feeling. He kissed her on the forehead and then laid down next to her as he continued to rub her stomach. Maril placed her hand over his.

"It's going to be a while until we'll be able to feel anything, or until I get a bump," she said to him.

"I can't wait for that day," he said.

"Neither can I," she replied as she grinned. She laid her head back on her pillow. "I can't wait to tell my family," she exclaimed. "My father is going to be so happy for us. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the week keeping the secret."

"Just think about seeing the joy on his face in person, and not on some video screen," Rex told her.

"That's a good one," she said as she leaned in and kissed him. "I'm going to have to tell Helena over a viewscreen. I really wish I could do it in person." She stared down at her stomach as she thought a little more.

"There are times I really miss being away from Earth," she admitted. "There are so many people I wish I could see more. There is just so much to do here I'm afraid it might be years before we make it back."

"We are the royal rulers, you know," Rex told her. "We should be able to tell others we are going to Earth and they will just have to deal with it."

"Really?" Maril said with a questioning look. "I don't know if I can be quite that assertive."

"I had to be that assertive on Thanagar," he told her. "Let me deal with everyone."

"That is why I love you so much," she said as she kissed him again. She rested her head against his as she turned on her side and snuggled up against him. "I can't believe we're living the life we always wanted."

She let out a loud yawn. "You know, I still get a little nervous going to sleep," she admitted to him.

"Why is that?" he asked her.

"I can't believe how things have worked out for us. I just feel every night before I go to bed that the next day when I wake up, something is going to happen that will destroy us."